The ASML School Football Tournament held its inaugural match day for pupils in special education on Thursday. Two hundred boys and girls from various schools across the Brainport Region took part in their very first football tournament at FC Eindhoven’s Jan Louwers Stadium.
Despite the rain, the atmosphere on the pitch was lively. The pitch was divided into four smaller fields, where teams of 7 to 11 pupils faced off in short matches. The pupils played with great enthusiasm, all eager to score a goal, cheered on passionately by their teachers. After the matches, teams relaxed in the stands, enjoying music and a hot dog in a bun.
Value
“At first, I was very excited to play football in a real stadium. Before, I had only played football on the field in the neighbourhood, but now that I am here, I find it really super fun,” says a pupil from the Prins Willem Alexander School from Veldhoven. “I think I even want to join a football club after this.” A pupil from MBS Eindhoven says the day is very special for him. “It’s fun to get to play football against other schools in a real stadium. Especially learning to work together as a team is valuable.”
Teachers at the participating schools stress that they get to see a different side of their students during the football tournament. “They are much more exuberant and when they win they really share this together,” judges teacher Didier Toemen of the Prins Willem Alexander School. “Many pupils have never played sports in a team before, so a tournament like this can nicely show them how valuable it is not only to be fit, but also to work together with peers.”
Positive impact
The initiative is a collaboration between FC Eindhoven and Stichting Special Talents. This is a non-profit organisation, which organises football training for children with certain conditions or disabilities, such as autism, epilepsy, ADHD or a muscle disease. For FC Eindhoven, the game day for special education students is fitting for their ideals.
“We like to be socially involved as a club and want to use our brand as a football club to provide opportunities to people of any age, gender, financial situation or whatever. With positive impact as a result,” said Junior Project Leader Sven Dierx of FC Eindhoven. “Next year, we hope to welcome even more teams and offer them the chance to play in our stadium.”
The tournament not only rewards the winners of the football matches. In addition to a trophy for first, second and third place, a trophy is also handed out for the team with the best decoration in the form of the nicest banners, mascots, supporters et cetera. And there is a trophy for “fair play”.
Source: Studio040
For Eindhoven News: Chaitali Sengupta
